Why do we desire, above all other things, that which has the greatest power to destroy us?
An Enchantment of Ravens
Margaret Rogerson
Summary: With a flick of her paintbrush, Isobel creates stunning portraits for a dangerous set of clients: the fair folk. These immortal creatures cannot bake bread or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and they trade valuable enchantments for Isobel’s paintings. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—Isobel makes a deadly mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, a weakness that could cost him his throne, and even his life.
Furious, Rook spirits Isobel away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously amiss in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending upon each other for survival, their alliance blossoms into trust, perhaps even love . . . a forbidden emotion that would violate the fair folks’ ruthless laws, rendering both their lives forfeit. What force could Isobel's paintings conjure that is powerful enough to defy the ancient malice of the fairy courts?
Isobel and Rook journey along a knife-edge in a lush world where beauty masks corruption and the cost of survival might be more frightening than death itself.
My Review: As one of few standalone fantasy’s on the market, An Enchantment of Ravens hits the mark and also...doesn’t. I loved this story, I loved that Rogerson played on common concepts and made them her own without having to info dump for 100 pages. However, I made the mistake of reading this book in a single evening. It was not intended to be read that way. I feel like if I’d take a longer time with it I would’ve felt the love story and the emotional twists and turns more than I did. Because I did read it so quickly, those emotional moments felt a bit flat.
Recommended age: 13/14+ (mild thematic elements)
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